National Association of Securities Professionals

What National Association of Securities Professionals does

The National Association of Securities Professionals (NASP) is a Washington, D.C.-headquartered nonprofit professional membership association founded in Chicago in 1985 by Maynard H. Jackson, Felicia Flowers-Smith, Joyce M. Johnson, and Donald Davidson. Its stated mission is to expand access and opportunity for people of color and women in the U.S. financial services industry, operating across 11 local chapters (Atlanta, Baltimore/Washington, Chicago, Detroit, New York, North Carolina, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Southern California, Texas, Ohio) with a membership of 450-500+ professionals spanning investment management, consulting, wealth management, broker-dealers, investment banking, public finance, and corporate finance.

NASP's product surface is built around tiered individual membership ($25 student to $500 senior professional, all annual with chapter affiliation included), three flagship annual events (the Financial Services Conference drawing 600+ attendees, the Consultant & Manager Retreat with 75-100 attendees, and the Women's Forum reaching 100-150), the affiliated NASP Institute (a 501(c)(3) housing executive coaching, research, and CPE-accredited programming since 2017), and pipeline programs including FAST Track (high school), College Day, and the Advice-to-Mentorship (ATM) Portal. The organization also embeds a third-party AI job-matching platform, Matchplicity, for career placement. Technology is therefore primarily community/event-management infrastructure rather than proprietary software; the AI layer is a partnership rather than an in-house capability.

Revenue is generated from three streams: recurring individual membership dues, corporate event sponsorships across multiple tiers (Gold/Silver/Managing/Equity/General) anchored by partners such as Robinhood, Wellington Management, and Wells Fargo, and fee-for-service revenue from career coaching ($95-$150 per session), Consultant & Manager Retreat registrations ($1,500-$2,000 per asset manager), and CPE-accredited programming. NASP is a member-governed 501(c)(6) nonprofit with an affiliated 501(c)(3) institute, no outside investors, and is currently led by President and CEO Miguel Thames (appointed 2024).

Name

National Association of Securities Professionals

Legal name

National Association of Securities Professionals

Website

https://nasphq.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

NASP is a Washington, D.C.-headquartered nonprofit founded in 1985 that runs a 450-500+ member professional association across 11 U.S. chapters, serving people of color and women in financial services through tiered membership, the annual Financial Services Conference, the Consultant & Manager Retreat, the Women's Forum, the NASP Institute, and pipeline programs like FAST Track and ATM mentorship.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Association Services (Financial Services)

NAICS

Business Associations (813910), Convention and Trade Show Organizers (561920)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Association & Society Conference Management (Nonprofit, Professional Bodies) (THAHACAA)

Keywords

• Professional membership association
• Financial services networking
• Diversity advocacy
• Career development
• Investment industry inclusion

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices10 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Individual membership fees based on years of industry experience. Tiers include: 0-5 years at $200/year, 6-10 years at $400/year, 11+ years at $500/year, Associate membership at $75/year for trustees/government employees, and Student membership at $25/year. All memberships are annual and include chapter affiliation.
2. Event Sponsorships: Corporate sponsors at various levels (Gold, Silver, Investing, Managing, Equity, General) sponsor annual conferences and events. Sponsorship tiers provide brand visibility, speaking opportunities, and access to institutional investors and asset managers. Registration fees for events like the Consultant & Manager Retreat ($1,500-$2,000 for asset managers).
3. CPE Credits Program: NASP is registered with NASBA as a sponsor of continuing professional education. Members receive CPE credits for attending year-round programming including conferences and virtual webinars, generating revenue through program delivery.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels11 records

Core offering

NASP is a nonprofit professional membership association that delivers individual and corporate membership, exclusive networking, leadership and career development programs, continuing education (CPE credits), advocacy for inclusion in financial services, and recurring industry events. Core offerings are organized around tiered annual memberships, the flagship Annual Financial Services Conference, the Consultant & Manager Retreat, the Women's Forum, the NASP Institute's coaching and research arm, and the FAST Track student pipeline program.

Product overview

NASP is a professional membership organization (not a technology product company) offering membership-based programs for financial services professionals from underrepresented communities. The core offerings include the Annual Financial Services Conference (flagship event), NASP Institute (career development and executive coaching), Consultant & Manager Retreat, Women's Forum, and specialized programs for students and young professionals including FAST Track, College Day, and the Advice-to-Mentorship Portal. The organization also provides career coaching services, advocacy initiatives, and maintains 11 local chapters across the United States.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• NASP Individual Membership Tiered annual membership for financial services professionals ($200-$500 based on years of experience), plus Associate ($75) and Student ($25) tiers, granting access to events, networking, mentorship, and discounted conference registration.
• NASP Institute (TNI) The 501(c)(3)-affiliated institute providing career development, industry research, executive coaching, and Leader Development, Entrepreneurial Business Development, and Industry Research programs.
• Annual Financial Services Conference (FSC) Three-day annual educational forum attracting 600+ financial services professionals with tracks for professional development, investments, institutional finance, municipal investing, and the African Emerging Markets Summit.
• Consultant & Manager Retreat By-invitation 1.5-day retreat pairing institutional investment consultants with diverse-owned asset management firms for curated meetings and educational discussion; 75-100 attendees annually, priced at $1,500 for NASP member asset managers and $2,000 for non-members.
• Women's Forum Annual forum focused on ethnic minority women in financial services, with programming for women at all career levels; recent editions attract 100-150 attendees, hosted at partner venues such as Wellington Management.
• Career Coaching Services One-on-one executive coaching for leadership skills, communication, and career advancement; standard rate $150/hour, NASP member rate $95 per session with self-assessment, homework, and resources, minimum 3 sessions recommended.
• FAST Track Program Nine-month Financial & Scholastic Training program exposing high school minority students to financial services through mentoring, financial literacy development, institutional tours, summer internships, and scholarships ranging from $3,500 to $12,000 for graduating seniors.
• Local Chapters Network 11 local chapters in Atlanta, Baltimore/Washington, Chicago, Detroit, New York, North Carolina, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Southern California, Texas, and Ohio, delivering grassroots networking, seminars, and regional programming included with annual membership.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 600 professionals attend the Annual Financial Services Conference
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and major.

• Association of Asian American Investment Managers (AAAIM)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024NASP collaborates with AAAIM on industry initiatives. Both organizations work to advance diverse talent and inclusion in financial services, with NASP President Miguel Thames actively reaching out to AAAIM leadership to explore collaboration opportunities and avoid redundancy.
• New America AlliancecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024NASP collaborates with New America Alliance on diversity initiatives in financial services. President Miguel Thames has engaged with New America Alliance leadership to identify areas of mutual focus and potential collaboration.
• Association of Black Securities and Investment Professionals (ABSIP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerABSIP regularly publishes news, press releases, and industry insights on developments in South Africa's financial services sector. NASP features ABSIP content on its blog and resources section.
• AAAA (Association to Preserve the African American Identity)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with organizations like AAAA supports future talent development through financial literacy and career programming for underrepresented communities.
• National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership supporting financial literacy development and collaboration with key industry leaders for future talent programs.
• Brookings InstitutionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBrookings Institution featured as a resource partner in NASP Institute's industry research initiatives, supporting thought leadership on financial services and inclusion.
• Aspen InstituteminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAspen Institute partnership supports leadership development programming and research initiatives within the NASP Institute.
• Wells FargocoreOthersHost venue for the 8th Annual Consultant & Manager Retreat, October 7-8, 2026, at Wells Fargo headquarters in Charlotte, NC (550 South Tryon Street).
• Wellington ManagementcoreOthersHost venue for the 4th Annual Women's Forum, March 12-13, 2024, at Wellington Management in Boston, MA. Over 120 professionals attended.
• RobinhoodmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerMulti-year partner and sponsor of NASP annual conferences and events, supporting inclusion initiatives in financial services.
• National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNASP is registered with NASBA as a sponsor of continuing professional education on the National Registry of CPE Sponsors since October 2017, enabling members to receive CPE credits for attending programming.
• MatchplicitycoreTechnology or IntegrationInvite-only AI-powered platform partnership providing NASP members with career matching services, networking opportunities, and job placement support based on professional and lifestyle needs.
• Detroit Marriott at Renaissance CentercoreOthersVenue host for the 37th Annual Financial Services Conference (FSC2026), June 8-10, 2026, marking NASP's return to Detroit for the first time in over 20 years.
• PFM Asset Management LLCminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner with NASP Institute to offer Finance CPE Credits for pension and financial services conference programming.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Association of Asian American Investment Managers (AAAIM): A diversity-focused investment industry association serving Asian American investment professionals and asset managers. AAAIM is one of the closest direct peers to NASP — both serve diverse financial services professionals, run annual conferences, and engage institutional allocators on diverse-manager access. NASP and AAAIM explicitly coordinate to 'avoid redundancy.'
• New America Alliance: A nonprofit organization advancing the participation of Latinos in corporate, public, and nonprofit governance, with a strong emphasis on institutional investing and diverse asset managers. Comparable to NASP in mission, programming, and trustee/plan-sponsor audience.
• Association of Black Securities and Investment Professionals (ABSIP): An association focused on Black professionals in financial services, with content partnerships and overlapping membership with NASP. ABSIP serves the same diverse-securities-professional niche and is explicitly cross-promoted on NASP's website.
• Toigo Foundation: Foundation focused on increasing diversity in financial services leadership through scholarships, mentorship, and career development. Comparable pipeline-building model to NASP's FAST Track and College Day programs.
• Money Management Institute (MMI): Industry association for the wealth management industry, offering professional development (including an Academy program for early-career professionals featured on NASP's resources page). Overlaps with NASP in member demographics and the early-career development niche.

Broad incumbents

• National Black MBA Association: Larger and broader organization advancing Black business leadership across industries, including financial services. Overlaps with NASP in member demographics and corporate sponsor base, but covers all business functions rather than specializing in securities.
• CFA Institute: The global professional association for investment professionals, offering CFA designations and serving as a broader incumbent across the same securities/investment professional audience NASP targets. Significant overlap in CPE programming and career development.
• National Association of Personal Financial Advisors (NAPFA): Membership association for fee-only financial advisors. Comparable association structure and member dues model, though NAPFA serves a narrower wealth-advisor niche rather than the broader securities and investments workforce NASP covers.

Emerging players

• Foundation for Financial Planning: Nonprofit focused on pro bono financial planning and diversity in the profession. Comparable mission focus on expanding access and diverse-talent development, but smaller scale and a narrower financial-planning lens than NASP's securities-and-investments focus.
• Robert F. Smith Fund / Student Freedom Initiative: Organization focused on creating pathways for underrepresented students into STEM and business careers, with comparable talent-pipeline intent to NASP's FAST Track and College Day. Tangentially comparable as a diversity-pipeline organization rather than a financial services association.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/nasphq
• Instagraminstagram.com/NASPHQ
• Xx.com/nasphq

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about National Association of Securities Professionals